To some, the dentist may be scary, but at Dr. Schneider’s office, the dentist is family and people feel comfortable.

The Schneiders’ involvement in dentistry began in 1977 when Barbara Schneider opened her own family dental practice.

After helping Barbara around the office, her husband Richard realized dentistry was something he wanted to do and decided to switch from mechanical engineering to dentistry. He began dental school in 1978. Ever since his graduation, the Schneiders have worked side by side to bring superb dental care to Frankfort.

In 1992, they moved in to their current location at 200 Kings Daughters Drive.

The move from engineering to dentistry was easy for Richard Schneider. In addition to working with his wife­, he could work with tools and enjoy a rewarding job where he gets to help people.

Richard Schneider said because the office is like one big family, they treat all of their patients like family. They have some patients who have been with them for decades.

“Since we are kind of like a family, we are concerned for the families needs. We are about caring for their immediate and long term needs,” Dr. Schneider said.

Often times, patients will stop in the office just to say hello to the family they have come to know and love. Two staff members, Debbie Verner and Dana Boggess, have worked at the clinic for over 30 years. When patients come in for a visit, they expect to see their familiar faces. While there, patients also pay a visit to one of the most important family members, Vern — the office cat. Vern has collected a variety of gifts and treats that patients have brought specifically for him.

There are currently three generations of the Schneider family working at the office. Destini and Romeo Sims, Richard Schneider’s grandchildren will often stop by after school to help out around the office.

Debbie Varner, who has worked with the Schneider’s since 1977, said people feel comfortable going to Dr. Schneider’s office because there is a family atmosphere. They know they will get cared for as if they are family.

There are no dental hygienists in the office, so Dr. Schneider is with the patients throughout the entire visit.

Dr. Schneider said the most rewarding part of his job is seeing people who came into the office in pain leave feeling a lot better.

The office tries to maintain a low-stress environment. They don’t bog themselves down with too much work. The employees enjoy their work and know if they are happy and have low stress, that feeling will translate to their patients.